Assembling mechanism of typographic composing-machines equipped with alternate fonts.



, F. J. WIGH. ASSEMBLING MECHANISM OF TYPOGRAPHIG GOMPOSING' MACHINESEQUIPPED WITH ALTERNATE FONTS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG.23,1907.

926,158, Patented June 29, 1909.

J a 4M. ,,.W I fiorrwg UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FERDINAND JOHN WIGH, or oAPE'roWN, CAPE ooLoNY,'Ass1eNoR TO LINOTYPE ANDmonmnnr LIMITED, or LoN-noN, ENGLAND.

Assnmmma manure]: en'rrroenarmc GOMPOSING-MACHINES EQUIPYPED WITHAL'IIE'RNATE FONTS.

Y Specification of Letters Patent.

Q'PatentedJnne 29, 1909.

Application filed December 28, "1907. Serial No. 407,687.

.gra hical Composing-Machines Equi pe'd wit Alternative Fonts, of whichthe f0 ow- 111%183. specification.

he present inventlon relates to im rove ments 1n the assemblingmechanism 0 typographical composing machines equi ped wit alternativefonts. typical mac me so equipped'is the two-letter variety of theMergent aler linotype machine. :Each of its matrices is practically arectangular plate:

having a recess in each side edge and the formative cavity fortherespective type face:

in and: across one of ,these edges, so that the cavity. for thealternativevfont mustbe either'.

above or below the one for the normal font. Thls being the case, thealternating'motion' necessary to make a matrix present the desiredcavity in the. composing .line, must always be a vertical one--see thespecifications of LettersPatent. Nos. 449872, 547633 .:.and 615909.

In. the accompanying drawings which are to-be-takenas part of thisspecification and read therewith :-'Figure 'l is a front elevationofzas-much of the improved assembling mechanism as is necessary toillustrate the Ian of the assembler broken away; Fig. 3 is anelevationas seen from the right-hand side of 'Fig. 1, and shown partlyin vertical section on the line 33 of that figure; Fig. 4 is a. verticalsection also taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 but showing the device undera different condition ofadjustment, and Fig. 5 .is .a side felevationshowing parts of the 5 mechanism represented in Fig. 3, in a dif ferentposition from that in which theyare shown lnthat figure.

In'the drawings, see Figs. 3 and 1, two

matrices l .-are--represented in dotted lines, the two-formativecavities 2, 3 being for -L.producing printing faces of respectivelynormal'and .variant font. "When the normal formativecavities '2 are .inthe composing. Q E

.line,,as in Fig 3, thetwo bottom lugs 4, 5-

each of the matricesl' rest upon the ledges 6frat-the back of the frontp ate .of theassembler 8, and-the ledge 7 being .formed at the front ofthe back plate ofthe said assembler.

.There is a further ledge 9 referablypn the back of he front plate 0 theassemblerS and parallel with the ledge 6 and with its upper orsupporting surface at a height ovethat of the ledge 6 equal to theheight L of the formative cavities 2 above the formative cavities, 3 onthe matrices themselves. The ledge 9 stops short of the entrance mouth10 of the assembler 8 by a distance not less than the thickness of, thethickest matrix in a font.

So far. ,as has-been above described the ;plementary ledge-11 preferablyformed integrahwi th a vertical plate or slide 12..and capable of avertical motion betweentwopositions, in the lower of, which, as shown inFig. 1 it is in register with, and virtually forms -a.continuat1on of,the led? 9,,and in the upper ofwhich, as shown in ig. .3, it is outof'register'with the ledge 9 and at a height considerably above it, soas toallow the matrix lugs 4 to pass beneath it onto the ledge 6which'latter, as ordinarily, extends to the entrance mouth ,10. Thesupplementary ledge 11 may be guided in its vertical adjustment by meansof screws 13 which and 7 respectively,-the ledge 6 being formed passthrough a slot 14: in the slide .12 and screw into the front ofthe-assembler 8,-there being provided spring washers 15 on the screws13, or other e uivalent devices, for

presenting sufficient riction for retaining the sup lementary led e 111n either of 1ts adjuste positions, until the operator positively movesitfrom such position for effecting a change of font. For facilitatingtheadjustment of the ledge 11 the slide 12 is provided with ahandle 16.

When the supplementaryledge 11 is in its;

normal.formative'cavities 2 in the compos i-ingline. When the ledge 11is its .lower position, in which it is shown in Fig. 4, and therefore-,irfregister with the ledge 9, the lugs' l," rest upon it, so as topresent the variant formative cavities 3 in the composing 5 line, whichpresentation will be maintained for the matrices already entered, by theledger 9. This invention allows the operator to change'the position ofthe ledge 11 as soon as'he is ready to change font in his composition,so that if, immediately after a matrix has been stopped by the shelf 11for assembling its varlant formative cavity 3 in the composing line, asin Fig. 4, it is .required to assemble amatrix with its normalformativecavity 2 in the composing line as shown in Fig. 3, and theshelf 11 s raised for that purpose, as shown in that figure, there is nonecessity :to manually-push the ff variant matrix off the shelf 11, ashas heretofore been the practice, because this variant matrix will beautomatically pushed-off the said shelf 11 by the pressure of thefollowing matrices whether assembled normal or variant The assembler ofthe Mergenthaler linotype machine is raised. quickly after it hasreceived its line, thereby imparting a certain momentum to the matricesin it and one which, unless thwarted, would disturb the alinement of thecomposed line of formative cavities. This momentum is thwarted in thecase of those of the normal ifont matrices which have passed thesupplementary ledge 11, by the fixed ledge 9, under which the lugs 4 ofthe said matrices are then situated, and in the case of the variant fontmatrices it is thwarted by a rod up-to which the assembler 8 in itsascent brings them; thisrodconstitutes no part of the present inventionand is therefore not represented in theaccompany ing drawings. In thecase of those of the normal font matrices which have not passed thesupplementary ledge 11, the abovenam'ed momentum is thwarted by ahorizontally slidable detent 17, Figs. 3 and 5,-oapable of slidingthrough the back of the assembler 8 so that the forward end of suchdetent may be caused to eitherproject to the front of such back and intothe assembler as shown m Fig. 5 or not to so project as shown in Fig. 3in the former of these two last-named'positions the forwardend of thedetent 17 projects over the matrix lugs 5 and thereby holds the matricesdown upon the ledges 6, 7 and in the latter of such positions 1t 1s outof the path of the matrices entering the. assembler. The detent 17 isoperatively connected with the lower end of ,a lever 18 pivoted totheback of the assembler 8 and eb'ftionary cam. 20 fast to the ace plate 21of upon whose upper end acts a spring 19 which .the machine, this cambeingso situated as to "withdraw the detent 17 from within the as-"sembler when the latter has almost com;

[pleted its descent and to-maintain it in such withdrawn position untiljust after the com- .menoement of the assemblers ascent. h!

The-before described ledge 9 may bgi either fast to the assembler ormovable therein, in any of the -ways already known in connec tion withsuch devices.

In respects other than those hereinbefore particularized the devicesshown in the accompanying drawings may be of ordinary construction.

I claim,

' 1. In a typographical composing machine in-which matrices areassembled in an as sembler, and in combination, a plurality of matrixsupporting shelves in said assembler, one of said shelves being shorterthan said assembler; and a vertically adjustable shelf in said assemblermovable. into alinement with the short shelf to complement the lengththereof.

2. In a typographical composing machine in which matrices are assembledin an assembler, and in combination, lower matrixsupporting shelves insaid assembler; an upper matrix supporting shelf in said assembler of,shorter length. than said assembler; and a vertically adjustable shelfin said, assembler movable into .alinement with said upper shelf tocomplement the length thereof.

3. In a typographical composing machine inwhich matrices are assembledin an assembler, "and in combination, a matrixe supporting shelf in saidassembler and of shorter length than said assembleryand a verticallyadjustable matrix-arresting shelf in said assembler movable intoalinement' with said shelf to complement the length thereof and into thepath of the entering matrices, and movable out of matrix-arrestingposition. I

' I. In a typographical composing machine in which matrices areassembled in an assembler, and in combinatior lower matrixsupportingshelves in said assembler; an upper matrix-supportin shelf in saidassembler of shorter lengt than said assem-- bler; avertically'adjustable shelf in said assembler movable into alinem'entwith said upper shelf to complement the length there,- of; a matrixdetent operative in said assembler in that part of said assembleroccupied by the complemental shelf; and detent operating meansadapted'to. automatically project said detent'into operative'positionand withdraw it therefrom.

5. In a typographical composing machine in which matrices are assembledin an as sembler, and in combination, lower matrixsupporting shelves insaid assembler; an

upper matrix-supporting shelf in said as-c sembler of shorter lengththan said assemtermined moments-to withdraw said detent 10 bier; avertically adjustable shelf in said as against the-action'of saidsprini. sembler movable into alinement with said In witness whereof Ihave ereunto set uiiper shelf to complement the length theremy hand inthe presence of two witnesses.

a matrix detent operative in said assembier-in that part-of saidassembler occupied FERDINAND JOHN C by thetcomplemental shelf; a springnor- Witnesses: .mally projecting'said detent into operative LnwrsHYDENRYCH,"

position; and cam gear operative at prede- A. M. COLMAIL.

